GOLIAD – The public address system broke in and out during the Justices of the Peace and Constables Association annual awards presentations June 26 at The Hotel at Wichita Falls.

Still, something sounded very familiar to Mike Thompson as the master of ceremonies read the nomination letter for the state’s Constable of the Year. It sounded so familiar that he had to nudge his wife, Linda, to confirm what he was hearing.

“The speaker system wasn’t real great,” Thompson said. “We didn’t hear what the guy said when he started off. But then I started recognizing lines from the letter he was reading. I reach over and tapped my wife on the shoulder and asked her, ‘Are they talking about me?’ She had her head down looking at her phone and she was nodding her head, ‘yes.’ ”

Thompson, who was chosen from approximately 1,200 constables and deputy constables throughout the state, was nominated by Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Steve Kennedy.

“He has represented the office of constable in an exemplary manner due to his outstanding performance in all areas of a constable’s normal law enforcement and civil duties,” Kennedy wrote in the nomination. “Due to his duty performance and law enforcement experience, his expertise reflects well on his office. Specifically, other agencies such as the Goliad County District Attorney Goliad County Attorney and Goliad County Sheriffs Department have called upon his expertise to conduct investigations of cold cases and high-profile incidents.”

Kennedy cited the seven-year-old case of a house fire death that resulted in the death being ruled as a murder as one of Thompson’s top achievements.

“I got to read what he sent in before he sent it,” Thompson said of the nomination form. “It’s quite an honor.”